There was a long awkward pause. Jessica stood, holding about seven
books, which were teetering dangerously. Harry and Ron sat gaping at her,
wondering what she was going to do. Suddenly, and with a loud crash, her
books dropped from her arms and hit the table. She gave them one last
terrified glance, then turned on her heel and raced from the library.
Harry sat there dumbstruck for a minute. Why had she done that? he wondered. Apparently, Madame Pince had heard the crash, and she came running over, brandishing a duster.
"What is all this…" her voice faltered as she saw the mess on the table. Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Out," she hissed dangerously, "now."
They didn't argue. Quite the contrary, they grabbed their books and dashed from the library, eager to catch up with Jessica. They found her sitting by herself in the Common Room. She was in one of the larger armchairs, staring absently in to the fire. There was no one else in the Common Room, many of them had already gone down to lunch, but this situation had driven eating clean out of Harry and Ron's minds. They approached her quietly. She didn't seem to notice that they had entered the room, either that or she was choosing to ignore them. Harry and Ron sat in two armchairs directly opposite of Jessica's. Still, she took no notice of them.
Harry turned to Ron, wondering which of them should start the conversation. Finally, Ron nodded bravely, and turned to look at Jessica.
"Er, hello there," he said timidly.
She jumped and looked around. Obviously, she hadn't even noticed they were there. When she looked at Ron, she could feel her cheeks start glowing, and she turned back around to face the fire.
"Hello," she said in little more than a whisper, "Come to mock me, have you?"
Ron was startled. "No!" he said, surprised. "No, not at all. Er…your name's Jessica, isn't it?" he asked, apparently trying to turn the conversation around.
She continued to stare in to the fire. "Yes it is," she said quietly, "but there is something that tells me that you shouldn't call me by that name. Someone, who should not be, is listening, and it's dangerous."
The fire crackled eerily, as Harry and Ron sat stunned by this amazing proclamation.
"Uh, how do you figure that?" Harry asked.
She turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were so beautiful and so sad. He was reminded of his first year when he had found a dead unicorn in the Forbidden Forest. It was sad, beautiful, and tragic, just like her eyes.
"I just know," she said simply. "I think that if you don't believe me," she continued after a minute of silence, "then you should walk up to the staircase to the boy's dormitory. I believe that you will find a trail of blood leading up to Harry's bed."
Harry looked at Ron. He jumped up and raced to the boy's dormitory. Sure enough, a line of blood started at the bottom of the staircase and trailed all the way upstairs. He flung open the door and saw a knife lying on his bed, drenched in blood. He stood in the doorway, staring with his mouth hanging open. Spinning around, he raced back down the steps. He found Jessica and Ron sitting ashen faced in front of the fire.
"It's true," he said to Ron, still panting from the run. Then he turned to Jessica, "How did you know? Who's blood is it?"
Jessica stared at him for a minute. "It's no one's blood," she whispered. "The blood is now gone. If you go and try to find it right now, you won't be able to."
Ron went this time. When he returned, he was shaking his head. "No, Harry. Nothing was there," he said.
They stared at Jessica, and she stared in to the fire. "No one wants me here, I can tell," she whispered, and she sounded close to tears. "Someone is trying to scare me in to leaving. But they're wasting their time, if I knew how to get home I would." She turned her head very suddenly toward Harry and Ron, "You can not trust anyone in this castle. Something big is going to happen. I can feel it. I've been having…nightmares…" she trailed off in to silence.
Harry looked at her. "I have too," he said quietly.
"You and I," she said softly, "Have both been given a scar from the worst curse there is. The Avada Kedavra curse." She reached up and pulled down the neck of her shirt, revealing the raindrop.
"So, that tale is true," Ron said.
She nodded. "And I believe, that because of Voldemort's rising, a catastrophe is about to fall upon your world. Somehow, I am going to be a part of it. How, I do not know yet. But I do know that someone is trying to find out as much as they can about me. And I am scared for my very life."
* * *
Harry sat there dumbstruck for a minute. Why had she done that? he wondered. Apparently, Madame Pince had heard the crash, and she came running over, brandishing a duster.
"What is all this…" her voice faltered as she saw the mess on the table. Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Out," she hissed dangerously, "now."
They didn't argue. Quite the contrary, they grabbed their books and dashed from the library, eager to catch up with Jessica. They found her sitting by herself in the Common Room. She was in one of the larger armchairs, staring absently in to the fire. There was no one else in the Common Room, many of them had already gone down to lunch, but this situation had driven eating clean out of Harry and Ron's minds. They approached her quietly. She didn't seem to notice that they had entered the room, either that or she was choosing to ignore them. Harry and Ron sat in two armchairs directly opposite of Jessica's. Still, she took no notice of them.
Harry turned to Ron, wondering which of them should start the conversation. Finally, Ron nodded bravely, and turned to look at Jessica.
"Er, hello there," he said timidly.
She jumped and looked around. Obviously, she hadn't even noticed they were there. When she looked at Ron, she could feel her cheeks start glowing, and she turned back around to face the fire.
"Hello," she said in little more than a whisper, "Come to mock me, have you?"
Ron was startled. "No!" he said, surprised. "No, not at all. Er…your name's Jessica, isn't it?" he asked, apparently trying to turn the conversation around.
She continued to stare in to the fire. "Yes it is," she said quietly, "but there is something that tells me that you shouldn't call me by that name. Someone, who should not be, is listening, and it's dangerous."
The fire crackled eerily, as Harry and Ron sat stunned by this amazing proclamation.
"Uh, how do you figure that?" Harry asked.
She turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were so beautiful and so sad. He was reminded of his first year when he had found a dead unicorn in the Forbidden Forest. It was sad, beautiful, and tragic, just like her eyes.
"I just know," she said simply. "I think that if you don't believe me," she continued after a minute of silence, "then you should walk up to the staircase to the boy's dormitory. I believe that you will find a trail of blood leading up to Harry's bed."
Harry looked at Ron. He jumped up and raced to the boy's dormitory. Sure enough, a line of blood started at the bottom of the staircase and trailed all the way upstairs. He flung open the door and saw a knife lying on his bed, drenched in blood. He stood in the doorway, staring with his mouth hanging open. Spinning around, he raced back down the steps. He found Jessica and Ron sitting ashen faced in front of the fire.
"It's true," he said to Ron, still panting from the run. Then he turned to Jessica, "How did you know? Who's blood is it?"
Jessica stared at him for a minute. "It's no one's blood," she whispered. "The blood is now gone. If you go and try to find it right now, you won't be able to."
Ron went this time. When he returned, he was shaking his head. "No, Harry. Nothing was there," he said.
They stared at Jessica, and she stared in to the fire. "No one wants me here, I can tell," she whispered, and she sounded close to tears. "Someone is trying to scare me in to leaving. But they're wasting their time, if I knew how to get home I would." She turned her head very suddenly toward Harry and Ron, "You can not trust anyone in this castle. Something big is going to happen. I can feel it. I've been having…nightmares…" she trailed off in to silence.
Harry looked at her. "I have too," he said quietly.
"You and I," she said softly, "Have both been given a scar from the worst curse there is. The Avada Kedavra curse." She reached up and pulled down the neck of her shirt, revealing the raindrop.
"So, that tale is true," Ron said.
She nodded. "And I believe, that because of Voldemort's rising, a catastrophe is about to fall upon your world. Somehow, I am going to be a part of it. How, I do not know yet. But I do know that someone is trying to find out as much as they can about me. And I am scared for my very life."
* * *